1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to dispensers for discharging volatile materials and methods for operating the same, and more particularly to methods that increase user perception of the volatile materials and prevent habituation.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
It is known that a user's perception of a dispensed fragrance of a constant intensity tends to decay over time. This decay in perception, which is commonly referred to as adaptation and/or habituation, increases as exposure to the fragrance is increased, eventually reaching a level of habituation wherein the consumer can no longer perceive the fragrance. It is generally believed that adaptation and/or habituation can be reduced by changing the level of intensity of the dispensed fragrance or by dispensing a different fragrance. Traditionally, fragrance habituation has been countered by step-wise increases in fragrance intensity. The drawback of this approach is that the consumer will repeatedly habituate to each increased level of fragrance intensity to reach a level of habituation wherein the fragrance can no longer be perceived.
Diffusion devices or dispensers are used to dispense volatile materials, such as fragrances, deodorizers, insecticides, insect repellants, and the like. Many such devices are passive diffusion devices that require only ambient air flow to dispense the volatile material, while other devices are active diffusion devices. Active diffusion devices are found in a variety of forms, some include fans and/or heaters to aid in the dispersal of volatile materials, others actuate a valve stem of an aerosol container to dispense a volatile material contained therein, still others utilize an ultrasonic transducer to break up a liquid volatile material into droplets that are ejected from the device, and yet others include any combination of the above or any other known type of active diffusion device. Further, some active diffusion devices include a sensor to detect motion or light in a space, wherein such devices dispense a volatile material in response to signals from the sensor.
Traditionally, fragrance dispensers that release fluid based on the detection of motion release the same spray burst after every detection of motion. The drawbacks of this approach are that the user will become habituated to the level of fragrance released and will not perceive the bursts of fragrance. Additionally, many of these dispensers release a spray burst after every detection of motion regardless of the last time the dispenser released a spray burst. The drawbacks of this approach are that in high-trafficked areas the dispenser releases many spray bursts, which, in addition to depleting the contents of the dispenser at a higher rate, cause the user to become habituated to the fragrance.
Consequently, a need has arisen for dispensers to provide an improved user experience by increasing user perception and preventing habituation by releasing fragrance using various patterned activation sequences. The present disclosure relates to solutions to address such needs.